The present invention concerns raised floors, false floors, or access floors.
Various types of access floors have been proposed in the past. However, a great need still exists for an access floor which is inexpensive yet durable, and which adequately manages any service lines which may be disposed therein or thereunder.
Typically, access flooring does not provide adequate separation of the lines which lie underneath, thereby leading to the possibility of exposing one line to another line in an unseen or unsupervised environment. Often, a jumbled morass of lines or wires results under an access floor, such as may be found, for one example, in a computer room. Such a scenario is inefficient, and may even be dangerous. Various ordinances and rules have been promulgated which regulate the commingling of services, and which require special, or added, coating or covering over certain lines for the sake of protection. These special coverings add to the overall cost of installing and maintaining service lines. Furthermore, an access floor typically allows a generally unbroken air space thereunder, which could act as an additional fire hazard, for example, by allowing air and smoke to unchecked flow therethrough. Local codes may thus further impose smoke or fire alarm detectors and/or fire suppressant systems to be positioned beneath the access floor to provide adequate warnings. Moreover, certain codes and regulations dictate that building fire alarm systems be totally isolated from service lines.
Conversely, if an access floor were to provide isolated or dedicated raceways in which respective service lines could be disposed, then services would not be commingled and less costly shielding may be supplied for the service lines.
Furthermore, many types of access flooring are relatively inflexible as they must rely on the pre-existing sub-flooring for evenness and continuity. Any unevenness or irregularities in the existing subflooring are transferred to the top surface of the surface mounted access floor. Pedestal mounted access floors incur substantial cost for the pedestals and labor to align and level the floor.
A principal object of the present invention is to provide an access floor system which provides an improved degree of service line or wire management.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an access floor system which allows top access to any service line disposed thereunder.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an access floor system which incorporates access channels which serve as independent raceways for one or more services.
Another object is to provide an access floor system having independent raceways which run in both X and Y directions, wherein respective service lines run in respective raceways, and which may be serviced from above.
A further object is to provide an access floor system which can accommodate a variety of service lines, including power, fire, electrical, communication, telephone, fax, computer, water, sewer, HVAC, and other lines.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an access floor system which is formed from fire-resistant material.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an access floor system which is easily and economically fabricated and/or installed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a floor system which is fabricated in-situ to accommodate uneven or irregular floors with a customized fit.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an access floor system comprised of a plurality of cellular blocks arranged in proximity to each other which is formed from fire-resistant material.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.